Tips for Decluttering and Organising your Kitchen

Having a clean and clutter-free counterspace is key to making your kitchen look and feel great.

With that in mind, Gary Lyons, Managing Director at storage box manufacturer Plastic Box Shop, is here to share some of his top tips for organising and decluttering your kitchen.

Tidy house, tidy mind, that’s how the old saying goes. But, for many of us, keeping the kitchen free of clutter and nicely organised can be a real hassle. It’s the one place where you’ll pull things out of every cupboard on a daily basis, use ingredients dotted around in obscure locations, and have surfaces covered in useful appliances. But it doesn’t have to be this way. With a few simple tips you’ll be able to transform the way you organise your kitchen and create a beautifully ordered space.

Think about how you use your kitchen

First things first: the kitchen is a practical space. You’ll be in there a lot, and most of the time you’ll be making food, so you want your organisation to fit in with how you work. There’s no point littering your clean counterspace with cumbersome appliances that you don’t use very often. Likewise, you don’t want to have to do a walking tour of the kitchen just to make a cup of tea. Think about what you use the most and rearrange your kitchen around the most frequent activities. Anything that isn’t used at least once every few days should be stored away and pulled out as needed.

Keep your food organised

Neatly arranging your food will not only help keep your kitchen tidy, it will also help to reduce food waste. By organising your cupboards in a way that lets you easily see what’s actually in there, you won’t make the mistake of buying the same thing multiple times. For similar items that have a habit of getting mixed up, such as pastas, it can be a good idea to organise these things together in their own plastic box. That way, you can always grab what you need and easily store it again for future use, without messing up your neatly organised cupboards.

Get rid of pointless spares

If you regularly cook for four, then there’s no need to have 20 of each item of crockery and cutlery lying around, taking up valuable kitchen shelf and drawer space. You’ll find that many people decide to have more mugs, plates, and spoons lying around than they actually need, but most people don’t tend to think about this as unnecessary clutter. All you really need in your kitchen is enough for your daily meals with a few spares for visitors. You can keep any extras stored away in a box somewhere else so, if you do have a party, you won’t be caught out.

Make the most of your storage

If you’re stuck for storage space in your kitchen, it might be time to have a look at your units and see if you can squeeze any extra space out of them. If you have any shelves with a big space above them, it could be a good idea to add a new shelf and double the amount of space available for storage. You might also be able to move the shelves you already have into a more efficient configuration to maximise the available space. Another great way to use up every inch of cupboard space is to stack different items in stackable storage boxes which can be easily accessed as and when you need them.

Keeping the kitchen organised and staying on top of clutter can seem like a monumental task. But, put these tips into practice and you’ll soon have an efficient and tidy kitchen that brings you joy.

Whatever your reason for decluttering your home, our guide will help you through the process. Inside you will find 8 tips on how to get started on the somewhat daunting challenge ahead.

Simple Joy was founded by Hayley Forster, a Wellness & Lifestyle Coach. Hayley is an advocate of intentional living, with a passion in helping others simplify their lives in order to find their ideal lifestyle full of contentment, creativity and authenticity!